Once again, Republican lawmakers passed a bill stripping Planned Parenthood of $1.3 million in
state funding. Once again, the bill is not headed to Gov. John Kasich for his signature.

The Senate passed the measure 22-8 along party lines on Wednesday, marking the second time the
chamber has passed essentially the same bill this session. The House has passed a version, too.

The expectation is that someday the controversial defunding bill will make it to Kasich’s desk,
and he is expected to sign it. But the House needs to take a final concurrence vote on the
legislation, and Wednesday it chose to adjourn rather than wait for the Senate to finish passing
the measure.

The House does not return until Feb. 9, which means both Iowa and New Hampshire will vote before
Kasich — a presidential candidate — has the chance to sign it. And Democratic presidential
candidate Hillary Clinton on Wednesday urged him not to ever sign it.

“During his time in office, Gov. Kasich has repeatedly attacked reproductive health and rights,
signing 16 laws that have made it increasingly difficult for women to access vital reproductive
health care and significantly decreased the number of health centers that provide access to safe
and legal abortion,” Clinton said. “It’s time for Gov. Kasich to put the health and well-being of
his constituents ahead of his own political ambitions and veto this bill to defund Planned
Parenthood — a trusted health-care provider and lifeline for thousands of women, men and young
people in Ohio.”

On Wednesday, the bill once again drew throngs of Planned Parenthood supporters who argued that
the organization, with 28 clinics in Ohio, is one of the few places for low-income women to go for
services including cancer screenings and contraceptives. They also noted that public dollars
already cannot be used for abortions.

The bill also drew plenty of opponents of the organization who argued that there are other
providers that do not perform abortions but also offer health-care services to women.

Planned Parenthood does good at times, but it also performs roughly one-third of the abortions
that occur in Ohio, said Sen. Peggy Lehner, R-Kettering.

“For many Ohioans, that is deeply offensive and strikes at the very core of our beliefs,” she
said.

Sen. Bill Coley, R-West Chester, said the bill would result in medical services being delivered
more uniformly across the state. Most Planned Parenthood clinics, he said, are in major
metropolitan areas.

“These problems are statewide, and therefore this bill redirects those funds to nearly 300
places across Ohio that provide free or low-cost care to women,” Coley said.

“I’m not really sure we have the capacity in those rural communities to pick up the slack, even
if it goes to the county health department,” Cafaro said.

The Senate added an amendment that would add $250,000 for infant-mortality programs. The bill
also would provide pregnant women presumptive eligibility for Medicaid services.

Claire Boettler, president of the Ohio Public Health Association, which represents those working
in public health departments, universities and community-based organizations, urged “careful
consideration” of whether entities that do not perform abortions have the capacity to provide care
for thousands of women impacted by any funding restrictions.

“For example, women currently enrolled in the (Breast and Cervical Cancer Project) program may
have a longer waiting period for an appointment that could result in later-stage diagnosis of
breast or cervical cancer,” she wrote.